Top 13 MIA games of E3 2008

E3 2008 delivered some top-notch titles, but some heavy hitters didn't show up for the fight. Here are 13 games that were sorely missed.

11- Grand Theft Auto IV Downloadable Content

While this entry in our list isn't a full-blown video game, it's important enough because this is GTA we're talking about, and who knows what we'll actually be downloading once this finally comes to fruition. The lack of information on the new downloadable "episodes" for Grand Theft Auto IV is disappointing. DLC for GTA IV was announced months ago, and the delay makes us wonder if the developers behind the project are using this time to work on those rumored brand-new downloadable cities. Hey, we can dream, right?

9- Twisted Metal PS3

Ever since the hidden message in Twisted Metal Head-On was deciphered, we've been eagerly anticipating the debut of Twisted Metal on the PS3. Unless David Jaffe secretly had a hand in the development of the God of War III trailer, his precence, and particularly Twisted Metal's at this year's E3 was sorely missed. It's been quite a while since this series has received major attention from the masses, and a teaser at this year's show would have been a great way to get people talking again. Sadly, Sweet Tooth didn't get to make a stop in LA this year.

3- Diablo III

E3 is, by and large, is a trade show that tends to focus on consoles games. But Diablo III is no ordinary PC game — this is the game that just about everyone with access to a computer in the late 90s (or 2000, if you didn't dabble in the series until Diablo II) has been dying for. Announced just weeks before E3 week, Diablo III was nowhere in sight at the event, letting Diablo fans down who hoped that the timing of Diablo III's unveiling around E3 was no coincidence.

10- Jak and Daxter PS3

Back in the PS2 days, Sony had a trio of prized platformers, each with more inane names and better gameplay than the last — Sly Cooper, Ratchet and Clank, and Jak and Daxter. Sly Cooper's developers are hard at work on the PS3's potential killer-app InFamous, but Naughty Dog has been done with Uncharted for quite some time now. Thus, this year's E3 seemed like the perfect time for the oft-mute human and wiseass ottsel to make their much-anticipated HD debut. Imagine our surprise when the only platforming duo to show up at E3 was Ratchet and Clank, returning to the PS3 less than a year after the release of Tools of Destruction. Don't get us wrong, we're positively pumped for the Ratchet DLC, but we'd give it up in a second to see Naughty Dog create a PS3 platformer.

12- Splinter Cell: Conviction

With Assassin's Creed becoming the newest sparkle in Ubisoft's eyes, sad Sam Fisher has seen his stock slip recently. When Altair accomplished public stealth with great success (and greater sales), it really took the wind out of the sails of Splinter Cell: Conviction's similar concept. With Assassin's Creed taking a much-needed year off, now was Splinter Cell's time to shine. With no detection of Sam Fisher on this year's show floor, it's possible he'll be hidden for quite some time. We wish Activision had shown something at its "not an E3 press conference" press conference to convince us otherwise.

Now that E308 has concluded, the games revealed having been disseminated across the internet, now is the time to bitch and moan about the forgotten games that we didn't get to hear about at this year's show.

4- Zelda VIII

In addition to rumors about a new Kid Icarus game making an appearance at E3 2008, there was also talk about the next Zelda game being revealed at the event. We were hoping to see a game featuring a grown up Link in a more mature take on the classic Zelda formula, but hell, we would have settled for anything more next-gen than Twilight Princess, which was more or less a glorified port of a GameCube game. Apparently, Nintendo is "hard at work" on the next Zelda, but talk is cheap.

6- Punch-Out Wii

It's been almost 14 years since Little Mac last laced up his gloves. When the Wii-faithful received their first taste of pugilism in the form of Wii Sports' boxing minigame, the concept of a return to the World Circuit undoubtedly raced through many a head. The expectation of a Wii Punch-Out was only stoked further after a virtual console release for the NES classic and a cameo by Little Mac in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. When Nintendo announced the Wii MotionPlus, it seemed as though we'd be throwing Mac's punches in a matter of months. Unfortunately, this esteemed series was ignored this year. Facebreaker, on the other hand, is definitely coming, and is looking better every time we see it.

13- Alan Wake

Alan Wake has had a presence at E3 since 2005, yet the title has become a bigger mystery than ever before. This action-thriller, in the works from Max Payne developers Remedy for quite some time now, has promised to go beyond the brainless-but-fun gameplay of Remedy's previous work. And while the game's concepts (light-based attacks) still seem fresh and the graphics still look top-notch, our interest has continually waned with this title. A presence at this year's show would have been a great reminder that the game is still worth waiting for, but now, dare we say we're actually looking forward to the Max Payne movie more? Nah... we won't go that far.

7- StarCraft II

With Activision bowing out of E3, we knew there wouldn't be StarCraft II on the show floor, but the company did make its presence felt during the week. Unfortunately, amid all of the Guitar Hero World Tour hullabaloo, the company couldn't throw a single bone Blizzard's way. It's a shame, since StarCraft II may just be the company's biggest title yet, which is saying something when you consider we're talking about the folks behind World of Warcraft here. Of course, with Blizzcon right around the corner, we're sure to know lots more about this game in a matter of months.

1- Kid Icarus

For the weeks leading up to this year's E3, the word on the street was that Nintendo was preparing to unveil a new first party video game for the Wii. No one knew what exactly this game that would be, but there was no question about it being something big--likely one of the many beloved Nintendo franchises that has yet to appear on the Wii. And after batch of top secret Kid Icarus concept art (which, oddly enough depicts an adult version of "Kid" Icarus AKA Pit) popped up on the internet, everyone thought the mystery game was a new Kid Icarus game. Although Factor 5 is supposedly still working on making Kid Icarus Wii happen, Nintendo's winged angel was nowhere to be found at E3.

5- Duke Nukem Forever

Duke Nukem Forever has turned into that friend who you just can't rely on for anything. The same friend who perpetually makes promises they cannot keep, so why should we even be shocked at Forever's absence from E3 2008? The truth is, we're still letdown as we'd hoped that the new Duke Nukem Forever trailer shown late last year and the gameplay footage just revealed on the Jace Hall Show were indications that it would appear at E3 in one form or another.

8- Aliens: Colonial Marines

It's summer blockbuster season, and now's the perfect time to get us primed on the gaming revival of the sci-fi classic Aliens. Gearbox, the developers of some key Half-Life titles, has been hard at work at the excellent-looking first-person shooter Aliens: Colonial Marines for quite some time now. With a new publisher at the helm, Sega should have had a massive coming out party for this game and Obsidian's Aliens RPG. Now it looks like Aliens' grand return to gaming won't be quite as bombastic as it deserves.

2- Bungie's Halo Project

Bungie had a countdown on its website that was set to expire during E3. When it finally expired... nothing. Microsoft found the time to highlight You're In The Movies during the overlong keynote, but when it came time to reveal a blockbuster at the end of the show, the company chose to highlight an RPG that's been in development for well over two years. While we're excited as anyone to see FFXIII go multiplatform, it sucks that Bungie's new product had to get the shaft as a result.

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